Kitten Natividad (born Francesca Isabel Natividad on February 14, 1948) is a Mexican American film actress and exotic dancer, noted for her 44-inch chest and appearances in cult films by her ex-partner, director Russ Meyer.
Natividad was born in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, the eldest of nine children, and did not speak English until she was 10. At that time her mother married a U.S. citizen and they moved to Texas. Natividad attended high school in El Paso, where she was her senior class president.

After moving to California, she worked as a maid and cook for Stella Stevens and as a key punch operator for IBM before turning to go-go dancing to make ends meet. Her stage name Kitten came from her shyness. At age 21, she had her first breast implant surgery in Tijuana, where it was legal, in order to move into topless dancing. Due to the tragic results of the breast enhancements she deeply regretted having been talked into doing it (see below).

Kitten Natividad was introduced to Russ Meyer by fellow dancer Shari Eubank, a performer in Meyer's 1975 film Supervixens. Meyer hired her as the narrator of his movie Up!, where she was shown sitting nude in a tree,[3] quoting the poetry of Hilda Doolittle and acting as a Greek chorus to the nonsensical action. Meyer was so impressed he wanted her to star in his next feature, Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens (one of several collaborations between Meyer and film critic Roger Ebert). He paid for a second breast enhancement and voice lessons to eliminate her accent. She left her husband for Meyer during the filming, and they lived together as a couple for most of the next 15 years.

After this, Natividad moved into pornographic modeling, mainly doing glamour or girl-girl shoots with the likes of Candy Samples, Uschi Digard, and Patty Plenty. The appearances increased her dancing income many times over. She incorporated a giant champagne glass into her act (similar to Lili St. Cyr), accompanied by Bobby Darin hit "Splish Splash".

In 1970-1980s she took part in some short-footage "sexy wrestling" films, mainly with companies like Curtis Dupont[citation needed] and Triumph Studios. During the 1980s, Natividad began appearing in hardcore productions, initially limiting her performances to appearing topless, but eventually doing hardcore performances, usually with younger men. She also founded the private photo and video studio Kitten Klub. She famously appeared as a stripper at the bachelor party held by Sean Penn to celebrate his 1985 marriage to Madonna.

In October 1999, Kitten Natividad underwent double-mastectomy surgery for treatment of breast cancer. After her breasts were removed, it was discovered that the silicone used in her implants was of an industrial grade. She has since had corrective surgery and is close to the size that her fans remember her being. She currently lives alone with a pit bull and three cats (all featured in the 2005 documentary movie Pornstar Pets), and supports herself with sales of her porn videos and phone sex, with an international clientele. She appeared in the Adam Rifkin independent feature A Night at the Golden Eagle; according to her, Rifkin remembered recognizing her when their cars were both stopped at the same stoplight 25 years earlier.

In January 2008, Natividad was inducted in the Legends of Erotica Hall of Fame.

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Interview: Kitten Natividad

By SM Shrake on Jul 10, 2002 in Interviews, SM Shrake | 1 Comment

Kitten Natividad

Francesca “Kitten” Natividad was born in Juarez, Mexico, just across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. Her start in Hollywood came when she was a teen, working in a domestic capacity for another kitten, Miss Stella Stevens. It was in the Stevens household that Kitten decided she wanted to be in movies, too. She began go-go dancing, then moved into stripping, culminating in being named Miss Nude Universe. She shared an agent with Morgana, the Kissing Bandit.

Through a friend she met Russ Meyer, renegade director of smart, expertly edited films that explore human nature with a life-affirming, light touch and plenty of nudity. The two began their collaboration when Kitten narrated his film “Up!” (1976). Meyer then cast Kitten as the lead in his next film, “Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens” (1979). Her double role as Lola/Lavonia Langusta made the film, and won her plenty of adulation. But let’s check in with Kitten now, and find out where things have gone since then.

When I reached Kitten in her Hollywood home, she informed me that she was just being a couch potato that day. She had to switch phones because one’s battery was dying, and the other one, her favorite, was on the fritz because she’s dropped it so many times during phone sex. “I even dropped it once in the toilet — [because of the gurgling] the guy thought I was coming, but I was going!”

You had a part in a film recently. Do tell.

I’m in a film called “Night at the Golden Eagle.” I guess it’s a “cult” film. It’s been showing here in L.A. for six weeks. I play, of all things, a bag lady on Skid Row. It was frightening at times because it could have been my real story, you know? It has a surreal ending, in which I become beautiful and I’m dancing with a Prince Charming. I witness a murder, but because I was a bag lady, nobody knew. The director is Adam Rifkin (“Detroit Rock City”). Let me tell you how I got the part.

One day I was driving. It was about 25 years ago. Russ let me drive his Mercedes. I was at a stoplight, and this young guy is looking at me, and he goes “You’re Kitten Natividad!” I said, “Yes, baby,” and took off. I loved to speed in that Mercedes. He never forgot, and he found my Web site, contacted me and said, “Guess what? I was the guy at the spotlight.”

I remember reading an interview John Waters did with you and Russ Meyer for one of his books. In it, you said that once you sat on a fan’s lap, and the guy… lost control. In your response to this episode, you seemed very charitable. As far as fanhood is concerned, he paid you a high compliment, no?

Absolutely, that’s why I couldn’t get mad. I was ready to puke, the smell was so strong. But he was my fan, and the minute I sat on him, he blew the load. Russ thought it was wonderful, he kept telling that story to everyone. John Waters was really nice, and of course he was crazy about Russ, and Russ liked him, but when John became successful, Russ got jealous.

What was the process with Russ?

Originally, he would get an idea, and it would be an extension of one of his fantasies. In this case [Ultravixens] he had never had anal sex, so then he went on to do that stupid film [that was the premise: Kitten's boyfriend in the movie always wants to partake in back-door sex with her]. I said to Russ, Is he going to do it to me for real? He goes no, no, no. [laughs] I didn’t know! It was going to be my second film in my life, I didn’t know what went on with filming.

Vixens

What were the original venues for Russ Meyer films? Who was the original target demographic?

The target audience was educated youth. We went to universities and Russ would do talks, and I’d go along, and then we’d open in the city, and they’d all flock, mostly young people. He also had a following from when he was a Playboy photographer; the older ones liked the pinups, and the younger ones liked his films because he was self-made, he didn’t take no bullshit from the studios.

I didn’t know that Roger Ebert cowrote “Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens” (in addition to “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls”). He’s a smart man.

He has an incredible imagination. He also did “Up!” When it says “script by,” it has a different name. He used an alias. He was trying to build his name at the time, and… did you know he got a Pulitzer Prize? Now that he’s established he doesn’t give a fuck who knows he worked on these films. He’s his own man – he married a black lady, which is something for a Midwestern, Chicago guy.

Do you watch TV, and if so, what shows do you like?

I like “Sex and the City,” “Six Feet Under,” then I like HGTV, then Food Network. I could watch those all day long. It’s wonderful to watch people cook, decorate, garden. It gives me a good feeling, makes me want to do gardening, it’s a motivation.

Who’s your favorite movie star of all time?

Cary Grant… Humphrey Bogart… Clark Gable. As far as men, I’m greedy, I can’t make up my mind. I used to have a big crush on Clark Gable in “Gone with the Wind.” Who I love as an actress: Jane Fonda, I adore her. She’s been through a lot, she’s a good girl.

How would you characterize Hollywood?

I live in Hollywood, and it’s sort of a small town, and everybody is kind of wanting to be discovered, and if you’re doing well they want you, and if you’re doing badly, nobody wants you and word gets around like wildfire. It’s better to stay out of trouble, ’cause you’ll get caught.

You have a Web site now. How has the Internet changed things in your world?

Well, let’s just say it’s kept me alive financially, and it’s kept my name alive. Sometimes some of these guys didn’t know who I was, but they found my Web site and loved it…